Arizona approves Bitcoin and digital assets reserve fund

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has approved a new law that lets the state take control of digital assets left unclaimed for three years or more. The announcement was made via a May 7 press release on the governor’s official website, following the passage of House Bill 2749 with bipartisan support in the state legislature. The new law updates Arizona’s unclaimed property statutes to address the rise of digital assets, including cryptocurrencies. Sponsored by House Commerce Committee Chairman Jeff Weninger, HB2749 creates a process for identifying and managing unclaimed virtual property and establishes a Bitcoin (BTC) and Digital Assets Reserve Fund, which may be used for future appropriations with legislative approval. “Digital assets aren’t the future—they’re the present,” said House Commerce Committee Chairman Jeff Weninger, who sponsored the bill. “We’ve built a structure that protects property rights, respects ownership, and gives the state tools to account for a new category of value in the economy.” Under the law, digital assets are considered abandoned if the owner fails to respond to communications over a three-year period. After that, they must be turned over to the Arizona Department of Revenue in their original digital form. The state’s qualified custodians are permitted to stake these assets or accept airdrops, with proceeds directed to the new reserve fund. Importantly, the fund does not rely on taxpayer money or state funds. Any staking rewards or airdropped tokens are placed in the reserve, which is managed by the state treasurer and subject to legislative oversight. This development comes days after Hobbs vetoed Senate Bill 1025, which proposed investing seized funds in Bitcoin, citing concerns over using public funds on “untested assets.” However, HB2749 avoids those concerns by focusing on abandoned assets rather than active investment. Arizona’s move follows similar legislation in New Hampshire, where the state now permits investment in cryptocurrencies with market caps above $500 billion, a threshold currently met by Bitcoin alone. Source: https://crypto.news/arizona-governor-signs-bill-to-create-bitcoin-and-digital-assets-reserve-fund/